


As Safe as a Dragonrider Can Be

by Iamjustherek



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-04
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-17 23:57:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/554631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamjustherek/pseuds/Iamjustherek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eragon finds himself in a strange yet magical place without Saphira, Arya, or anyone famliar. All he wants to know is whats going on?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_**A flash, a roar, darkness, and finally consciousness.** _

_Saphira?_ It was all he could think with his head pounding so painfully. He groaned.

"Saphira…" Was she ignoring him?

"Oh my, awake already?" He heard a voice from his right say. He instantly tensed.  _Wait, who is that? Saphira?_

He reached out with his mind hurriedly and instead of the reassuring mind of Saphira or even the foreign mind of Arya he felt an unknown mind. His eyes snapped open and he instantly regretted it. He was nearly blinded after who knows how long of darkness. Clutching his head as a new wave of pain flew through it, he heard a startled gasp. As his eyes began to adjust, he slowly turned his head so as to see the person.

"How are you feeling?" He saw a stout woman lean in closer to him. "How you can wake up so soon after a fall like that is amazing."

"Wha-"he tapered off into coughs when his voice rose above a whisper. His throat felt dry and constricted. How long had he been out?

"Don't strain yourself so soon," she fretted as she grabbed a glass of water and offered it to him. He was of course weary of accepting and refused. "Now come, you haven't had a proper drink in over a week."

_A week?_  His attention drifted away from the woman to his surroundings. The room was huge and several beds were lined up and down the stone walls, one of which he occupied. Where was he? Some sort of castle or fortress?

"Saphira, where's Saphira?" He put as much conviction into his shaky voice as possible. He tried to push himself up using his forearms but his body protested immediately and he fell back to the bed.

"Careful!" She set the water down on a side table before fixing his bed sheets. "You've got a lot of resting to do."

"No, but Saphira…" he hadn't realized how tired he was.

"Just rest and then we'll sort out this Saphira business," she said soothingly as he found his eyelids too heavy to keep open.

_But Saphira…_ _**and darkness once again.** _


	2. Chapter 1

_Saphira! **Saphira**! Eragon could see her right there but she was impossible to reach. She was in distress and he knew exactly why but no matter what he did nothing helped. There was nothing he could do but stand there. And then he was falling, falling, falling. What was he doing? He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to be safe, safe with Saphira and Arya and Roran and Katrina. Safe… falling, falling and then he hit ground._

His eyes snapped open. He was still in these odd surroundings? He could have sworn that was a dream. Full realization finally hit him and he sprung up into a sitting position. Though his body was still terribly sore he wasn’t as fatigued as before. Now with full consciousness he had an opportune moment to panic.

 

“Just because you have the energy to, does _not_ mean you should!” His head snapped towards the voice. It was the same woman from before. Closing the door she previously walked through, she made her way to the bed. “You aren’t completely healed yet so don’t go skipping off and causing more damage!”

“What’s going on? Where am I?” He winced at his still croaky voice but pushed on steadily. He dodged her as she tried to push him back into a laying position. “Who are you and where is Saphira‽”

“Young man, I insist you lie back down!” She huffed still reaching for him yet he continued to dodge her maneuvers easily. “Though they aren’t broken, your ribs are badly bruised. You’re head also took quite a hit and I don’t want you shaking it about in case of concussion!”

“No! I want to know where I am this instant!” He urged as he inched towards the other side of the bed. “And why can’t I find Saphira‽”  

“You are in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, young man,” Eragon snapped to the other side of the hall where an elderly man was emerging from doors Eragon hadn’t noticed in his previous semi-conscious inspection. The man walked towards Eragon’s bed, the robes he wore billowing behind him. “I am Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and this is Madame Pomfrey, our healer. Now may I inquire your name?”

“E-Eragon,” he replied in a much less frantic voice. Something about this man’s overall presence demanded respect, yet in an affectionate way? Eragon couldn’t properly describe it.

“Eragon?” Albus’ brow rose in acknowledgment. “I remember that from my travels. A very old and powerful name you have.”

“Please, tell me what’s going on? What happened?” Eragon pleaded. He was confused and he’d had enough of idle chatter.

“Oh, of course forgive me,” he stroked his beard in contemplation. “You were brought to the Hospital Wing after appearing midair about a yard from the ground. You landed harshly and promptly fell unconscious. You’ve been sleeping for over 2 weeks now, Eragon.”

“What? Appeared midair?” Eragon was absolutely stunned by this. What could he have done to teleport himself to such a strange place? What had he even been doing before he appeared? But most importantly, why hadn’t Saphira appeared?

“Yes, may I ask how you managed to apparate into the school?” Dumbledore turned to a much more serious tone. “That is a serious breach in security.”

“Apparate- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eragon was very confused. Hogwarts? Apparition? What did this all mean? What did he do? “Where is Saphira?”

“Saphira?” Albus questioned.

“Yes, he has been mentioning a Saphira since he woke up,” Madam Pomfrey added as she finally managed to coax Eragon back into a lying position.

“She’s a blue dragon,” Eragon had a sickening feeling that if they hadn’t felt the need to mention a glimmering sapphire dragon the size of a house by this point that she was nowhere to be found.

His fears were confirmed when Dumbledore replied with an astonished, almost amused, kind of guffaw.

“A blue dragon? What could you possibly mean my boy?” Dumbledore questioned. Eragon felt his heart clench at the thought of being away from Saphira for too long.

“Please tell me… where in Alagaësia am I?” Eragon asked with a sickening feeling. Dumbledore’s eyes widened exceptionally.

“Oh, Eragon you’re in England,” Dumbledore seemed almost weary to continue, as Eragon looked to him with a confused expression. “ _You’re a long way from home.”_

Eragon stared on in utter shock as the last sentence was said in the Ancient Language.

_"Could you be a Dragon Rider?_ ” Dumbledore uttered in awe.


	3. Chapter 2

Eragon didn't know how to feel. He was apparently far away from anywhere he could consider home yet here he was hearing an extremely familiar language. He was sad yet overjoyed.

" _Yes, I am..."_  he answered somewhat put out by the whole experience.  _"What do you mean I'm… a long way from home?"_

" _You're in England, Eragon,"_ Dumbledore explained.

" _England?"_ Eragon he had never heard of such a land in all his years, not even in fairytale.  _"What? How did I get here?"_

" _We're not sure ourselves,"_ Dumbledore said sadly.  _"You appeared quite suddenly in midair and landed roughly on the ground. Tell me, what were you doing before you appeared?"_

" _I…I can't remember,"_ he said with a feeling of dread. _"All I remember is a flash and fear. And then I was waking up here."_

" _You might have short term amnesia,"_ Dumbledore suggested.  _"I'll ask Poppy to see what she can do. In the mean time you're more than welcome to stay here until you are able to find a way home."_

" _I…thank you,"_ Eragon replied somewhat absentmindedly. How far was he from home? From Saphira? From the Varden? A sudden stab of panic tore through him. The  _Varden!_   _"I can't stay here! I need to- to- to go back and protect the Varden! Every minute I'm not there could mean an attack from the Empire!"_

" _What? Calm down my boy,"_  Dumbledore tried in vain to keep Eragon calm. Every second that passed Eragon seemed to panic more and more. "Poppy dear please bring a calming draught!"

When said woman looked out to see the commotion she let out a huff before popping back into her office. Not a minute later she was back out and helping the headmaster calm down Eragon.

" _No! I've got to find a way back!"_ He continued to shout and fight even though his body was protesting every movement. He tried over and over to get but instead he was pushed back down and forced to drink the potion. Immediately he felt drowsy.  _"No… I've got to…"_

" _Just sleep and calm down,"_  Dumbledore said shushing the boy.

" _Got to..."_

" _Just sleep…"_

" _I…"_ And everything went black.

It had been a few days since his first real bout of consciousness and after waking several times in a panic Eragon finally began to calm down and trust his hosts. And as he took up permanent residence in the hospital (his wounds were slowly healing without his help because he was to weak much to his own chagrin) he began to feel… pleasant. After the initial shock of being in a completely new place finally wore off, the brightness of the castle seeped into him.

And he found Madam Pomfrey and Headmaster Dumbledore quite pleasant themselves. When he told them he was a vegetarian (after being served the most delicious smelling beef stew he'd ever seen, even rivaling Elain's) they'd been kind enough to bring him a delicious salad. He'd even been paid visits by curious professors looking to see what happened to 'the strange boy who appeared from thin air'.

One, who was particularly stern looking, introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and asked how his stay was. When he replied he was a bit restless she returned the next day with a stack of books. He'd been overjoyed and thanked her profusely much to the shock of the teacher. From that point on she happily answered any question he had about the books. He was also given back the possessions he had with him when he arrived. His clothes were even washed for him and  _Brisingr_ was kept pristine in its sheath. The sword being near him much comfort but he made sure not to say its name.

But even as all this happened he had a terrible nagging feeling. He knew he had to find a way home and soon. He had a war to fight in, people to protect, and promises to keep. So when Dumbledore visited him again he asked, " _Where exactly am I?_ "

" _England of course,"_  the man answered simply.

" _No, I mean relative to_ _Alagaësia_ _?"_ _Eragon elaborated._

" _Ah, that's the tricky part,"_ Dumbledore said wistfully. Once again Eragon had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.  _"_ _Alagaësia_ _… is an enigma. It is quite possibly the most mystifying and magical place on Earth, maybe even where all magic originated."_

_" _What does that have to do with me finding it?"__ _Eragon asked even as he could almost sense the disappointment he was going to feel._

_" _Well, because of all of its bountiful magic it has a most odd ability,"__ _he paused there in contemplation._ _"It's continually moving around the world."_

_"_ _What?" He couldn't believe this. His entire home, all of Alagaësia, the dessert, mountains, forests and all was_ _moving? "How can this be?"_

_" _I'm not sure,"__ _Dumbledore answered apologetically seeing the despair on the boy's face._ _"I, myself, only happened upon it by accident. I was on a voyage around the world when my boat found itself in the path of land previously uncharted. It was there I learned the Ancient Language before leaving. When we went back to find it again it was gone."_

_" _But how did I get here?"__ _Eragon said to himself feeling slightly sick._ _"What have I done…_ _?"_

" _Calm down, Eragon,_ " Dumbledore said reassuringly.  _"You just need to remember what happened before you arrived."_

" _But I don't!"_  Eragon was starting to go into frenzy after the realization that his home could be an entire world away for all he knew.  _"That's just it! I don't remember anything!"_

" _But you will,"_  Dumbledore continued on pushing through Eragon's panic with a confident tone.  _"It will take time but we will help you to remember."_

Eragon couldn't find a need to argue with the man. His confidence was intoxicating and what Eragon needed. But what he most worried was if he even had  _time._


	4. Chapter 3

It had been a couple weeks since he first arrived and Eragon was fully healed. But Eragon found himself once again panicking. He couldn't use his magic. He had even said  _Brisingr_  in his panic but the sword remained just as flameless as the previous second. Naturally he was concerned. He accosted Dumbledore the moment he walked through the door.

" _I can't use magic!"_  Eragon said with growing alarm in his voice. He was a bit irked by the knowing smile Dumbledore gave him. _"This isn't something to laugh about, Headmaster."_

" _Indeed but I have been thinking about that issue,"_  he ignored Eragon's aggravated voice in favor of sitting at a nearby chair.  _"In Alagaësia there's an abundance of natural magic so wizards are quite capable of channeling the natural magic through themselves and out into their chosen medium. However here while there is magic within each witch and wizard it does not wholly surround. Therefore we need to channel it through our wands."_

Here Dumbledore produced his wand from a fold in his voluminous robes and showed it to a slightly confused Eragon.  _"And within the core of each wand is the essence of a magical creature which amplifies our magic."_

" _What core does your wand have?"_  Eragon asked with growing curiosity as he eyed the wand. Dumbledore paused at the question and got an glazed look to his eyes.

" _This particular wand has the core of a Thestral's tail hair,"_  he said slowly. Eragon had briefly read an excerpt on Thestrals in one of the many books he was given. He shivered at the thought of them; what a terrible existence, to be only seen after one witnesses death.  _"A powerful and tricky substance only to be mastered by those who can face death."_

There was a heavy silence that followed those words. But not a minute later the twinkle was back in Dumbledore's head and he continued on.  _"But back to the issue at hand. I've sent for a wand maker for you. If you want to use your magic during your stay it will be essential."_

" _Thank you,"_  it was all he could think to say. There so many strange things about this… place he could hardly keep up. And everyone had been so kind and courteous to him even when he'd gone a bit over the top.  _"Really, thank you."_

" _No problem at all, my boy,"_ Dumbledore said smiling that kind-hearted smile of his before he left robes billowing behind him.

A day later and Eragon found himself on the other end of a scrawny old man's piercing gaze. It was quite uncomfortable actually.

"Hmm…" Mr. Ollivander 'hmm-ing' for the past half hour he'd been there. Just standing there, saying 'hmm', and looking curiously at Eragon and said dragon rider was feeling a bit uneasy. Eragon was startled when Mr. Ollivander suddenly grabbed his arm and began measuring it. He was even more surprised when the measuring tape hovered in mid-air and continued to measure his arms. Mr. Ollivander was much too busy reaching into the bag he brought with him. "Yours is a special case indeed…"

"I'm not sure-" he stopped when a long box was produced from the bag and a wand was pulled out.

"Elm, 11 inches, core of a unicorn tail hair," the man quickly explained before handing it to Eragon. It sparked the instant it touched his fingers and was promptly yanked from his hand. "Nope, here try willow, 9 inches, hair of a Demiguise(1)."

This time a warm feeling tingled through his hands but began to burn him. He would've dropped the wand if Mr. Ollivander hadn't snatched it back in time. With a chuckle he pulled another box from his bag. "Why didn't I try this from the beginning?"

A long and light wand was pulled from the box and handed to him. Immediately he felt a sense of perfection in the way it fit in his grasp. "Beech, 12 inches, and heartstring of a Swedish Short-Snout. Yes, this is definitely the one for you."

"What's a Swedish Short-Snout?" Eragon questioned giving the wand a few light flicks of the wrist and smiling at the sparks that appeared.

"It's a breed of dragon of course, my boy," Mr. Ollivander said in good humor as he continued to pack the wands. Eragon nearly dropped his wand.

" _Dragon?_ " He asked in amazement. "They're not extinct here as well?"

"Here? Ah, I nearly forgot of your upbringing in  _Alagaësia._ " Mr. Ollivander said idly. "So sad and quite a brilliant breed  _that_  land created. But I assure you my boy that here there are many different varieties of Dragon. A lot more than we can handle sometimes!"

As the older man let out a kind hearted laugh Eragon really thought about his words.  _More dragons!_ The thought was so foreign to Eragon he found himself laughing along with the other man. A very warm feeling of relief settled itself into his heart.  _Saphira wasn't alone after all…_

_He felt as light as a feather as he soared through the clouds on Saphira's back. They zigzagged, cutting through the clouds, twisting and turning as they saw fit. A loud and boisterous laugh broke across his lips as Saphira took an unexpected dip before swiftly turning upwards towards the sun. He could feel her own joy and happiness ringing out through their connection as she did two loop-dee-loops in a row before continuing to twirl through the clouds._

"I miss you, Saphira,"  _he said nestling closer to her neck._

"What do you mean, Little One? We're together right now,"  _she said back humorously through their connection._

"Haha, of course how silly of me,"  _he laughed at his own silliness but still pulled himself closer to Saphira._  "And we'll always be together."

_He made sure to convey all of his happiness and sincerity through their connection and in response Saphira hummed beneath him. But the clouds around them began to get darker as they flew on. He couldn't help but feel uneasy as soon he couldn't see the sun._

"Saphira…"  _He wanted to get out of these dark, stifling clouds._

"Hmm, just a little further, Little One…"  _And she continued to fly on through even darker clouds. He clutched even tighter to Saphira's neck. He didn't like this one bit at all. But he could trust Saphira; trust her to always know the way…_

_But abruptly the clouds before them parted to reveal Murtagh and Thorn, a quite haggard and tired looking Murtagh and Thorn to be more precise. There was no flame in their eyes; in fact there wasn't much of anything in their eyes. They simply had a desolate and empty feeling about them._

"Eragon…"  _Murtagh's gravelly voice shot through him as the clouds around them swirled threatening to suffocate them all._ "He's coming…"

_Horrible fear cut through his happiness as in the distance he could hear pounding of flapping wings in the distance coming towards them…_

Eragon woke up crying. Looking around to see the large dark hospital wing, more tears poured from his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demiguise- a peaceful, herbivorous creature that can make itself invisible. It resembles an ape with large, black eyes and long, silky hair.


End file.
